Consent

Consent is a lot more than saying yes or no to sex. It’s saying yes or no to spending time together, spending money, eating together, caring about your day, liking someone, loving someone, having fun with someone. Choosing to do things because we want to do them and not because we feel pressured.

Pressure can be something extreme like fearing for our lives but it can also be the pressure that comes from extreme situations like a medical emergency, or social embarrassment or guilt or fear of loss or pain. It can be a subtle persuasion that makes us feel uneasy that makes you doubt if you want what you think you want.

Because being told what to choose isn’t a choice, and ironically you can’t say yes until you don’t mind saying no. Real consent is when someone can support your ‘no.’